Jane Mangan’s William Hill Royal Ascot Blog: Day Five

By News Team
21st June 2024

William Hill ambassador Jane Mangan previews Day Five of Royal Ascot.

Royal Ascot, Saturday

I don’t have a fancy in the Chesham so I’m going to kick off the final day of Royal Ascot with the Hardwicke (3.05pm). This is where we’ll see the return of the St Leger hero Continuous. It’s fair to say that on his first run of the season he’s going to be vulnerable as he’ll come up against some race fit opposition. One of those will be Middle Earth who was fantastic in his win last time. He’s got some very good form at Ascot and John and Thady Gosden are already on the board this week and I like their one in the Hardwicke.

In the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee (3.45pm), I am going to go with Jamie Spencer and Charlie Hills with Mitbaahy, who was a very good winner of the Greenland Stakes at the Curragh last time. He beat Art Power and a number of the opposition who reoppose here. Hills’ charge arrives here off what was probably a career best effort and with 113 of an official rating, I think he will take an awful lot of beating. He’ll appreciate the quick ground and he will be at the peak of his powers after victory in Ireland.

It’s very difficult to oppose Haatem in the Jersey Stakes (4.25pm), especially given how Rosallion has since franked the Irish 2000 Guineas form on Tuesday. This horse is a class act and dropping back to seven furlongs will be no issue for him. Simply, he’s a Group 1 horse in a Group 3.

The Golden Gates Handicap (5.40pm) over 10 furlongs is a very intriguing three-year-old race where I like Hand Of God, who was extremely good last time for Harry Charlton. He’s a lightly raced, improving horse who looks progressive against some, shall we say, more exposed opposition. He has a nice racing weight and with William Buick on board, he’s the one for me.

The final race of the week is the Queen Alexandra Stakes (6.15pm). I like Run For Oscar, who I think has been absolutely laid out for this race by Charles Burnes and has an interesting rider booking in the French jockey Maxime Guyon. This horse is a high-class Flat horse, as well as being a high-class jumper and he should be fit from two runs this season. I’d say Charles has been working back from this race, and that it’s probably been the plan for quite a while. I hope he can have us finishing on a high in the last.